Your Faint Smile
by Aurora Shadowglen
Summary: A peom depicting Clare's childhood from her point of view, as if she was telling it to Teresa. Rating is precautionary due to the rating of Claymore itself.


**I have absolutely no clue where this ballad of a poem came from in my head, but I know I wasn't exactly seeking the Muse of Poetry when this suddenly appeared...**

**Anyway, this poem describes Clare's story from her point of view up until the time before Teresa's battle with Priscilla. And yes, I finally was able to figure out how to get the stanzas formatted correctly. **

* * *

I was christened Clare

A name not quite rare

In the southern land

Where the sun is grand

…

My family lived in peace

Until the day it ceased

When a beast so savage

Came, our bodies to ravage

…

They threw me aside

Begging me to hide

Tears flowing from their eyes

As they fell to never rise

…

I drift for years

My eyes dry of tears

A monster's shield by day

But at night its toy to play

…

Pain became familiar

Hopelessness regular

My voice retreated

And my will defeated

…

Thinking became painful

The night hours baneful

I retreated into my mind

Hoping for peace to find

…

Each village we see

Means misfortune to me

Though relief it brings

Another's death toll rings

…

Loneliness and death

A village comes and is left

As sure as my heart beats

This accustomed pattern repeats

…

Then one mundane day

With clouds gloomy and gray

You came with beauty fair

With silver eyes and blond hair

…

You walked through the village

Causing most to be distressed, for

A large sword was in your hand

Though its structure nothing grand

…

My captor shivered and shook

Daring to not chance a look

In front of him I stood

My body as unfeeling as wood

…

You smiled and fought

To six monsters a harsh lesson taught

Only then did you turn your gaze

Allowing your eyebrows to raise

…

You strode towards me

Oh what a sight to see

Your confidence and grace

All in a single pace

…

So enraptured was I

I did not see you fly

Nor the single stroke, then

In the fiend's blood I did soak

…

Upward, I turned my gaze

Your face haloed in the sun's rays

Still your silver eyes

Hid a pain uncompromised

…

Now alone and afraid

I sat hands clenched and prayed

With nowhere to go

And not a person did I know

…

Morning turned to night

Yet nothing changed my plight

I stared longingly at the inn

Where you were taken in

…

Would you help me?

My pain did you see?

Though kindred in spirit

Would you see my merit?

…

You flung me away

That very next day

You left me grasping for breath

And part of me longing for death

…

But onward I trudged

My spirit somehow nudged

To save you from the despair

That I once held without care

…

My will would not be denied

For I felt your soul as it cried

For you thought you were a monster

But I had known one as I did wander

…

You were the same as me

Both shackled and free

Bound to a past that you never desired

Free to wander as though you never tired

…

But soon your wandering would come to an end

Would it be a peaceful passing with a friend?

Or would you fade all alone?

With the darkness as your fated home

…

I strove to become your friend

Though your stubbornness against me did not bend

Eventually you resigned yourself to fate

But my presence you seemed to hate

…

You protected me from bandits

Offering yourself with resolve like granite

You saved me from death

When a fall had captured my breath

…

How could you deny yourself the truth?

Did you think that you were too aloof?

Or was it the despair that you held dear

Keeping you from coming too near

…

Pursued were we

When you journeyed with me

By a vengeful man

Seeking payment for a lost hand

…

Silent you were as he loomed

As tranquil as if a mere flower bloomed

I strove to drive him away

By using a stick to send him on his way

…

My efforts were in vain

And only brought pain

But as he hit me again and again

You acted boldly without restrain

…

As I looked upon you

I understood and knew

That though the danger was not dire

Your heart still lay in the mire

…

So touched was I

I could do not but cry

Until words long sealed

From my lips, were revealed

…

You embraced me then

And I could feel it within

Your heart began to warm

Until it calmed your storm

…

Now forever, I know

Through harsh wind or snow

You'll always be by my side

The truth we can no longer hide

…

Now as we walk through distant land

Never to expect anything grand

When every night we sit or lay

I will forever and always say

…

Teresa

…

Your protective embrace

Your face full of grace

And your faint smile

Made all my pain worthwhile

* * *

**And there you have it! The poem that's been stuck in my head for at least two months...**

**Hope you enjoyed! If you did (or even if you didn't), let me know! **

**However, IF you didn't like it, please have the courtesy to give me feedback on how I could fix those problems in the future! Thanks!**

**I thank you for reading my humble work,**

**~Aurora Shadowglen~**


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